Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond (PCD) composite compact element comprising a PCD structure bonded to a cemented carbide substrate, in which at least a peripheral region of the substrate comprises cemented carbide material having a mean free path (MFP) characteristic of at least about 0.1 microns and at most about 0.7 microns; and an elastic limit of at least about 1.9 GPa.

Abstract: The invention relates to hard-metal body comprising a hard-metal, the hard-metal comprising tungsten carbide grains and metal binder comprising cobalt having a concentration of tungsten dissolved therein, the body comprising a surface region adjacent a surface and a core region remote from the surface, the surface region and the core region being contiguous with each other; the mean binder fraction of the core region being greater than that of the surface region; the mean carbon concentration within the binder being higher in the surface region than in the core region; to tools comprising same and methods of making same.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear part or tool comprising a body containing an iron-group metal or alloy, a wear-resistant layer metallurgically bonded to a surface of the body through an intermediate layer, characterized in that the wear-resistant layer comprises at least 13 vol. % of grains of metal carbide selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, Mo2C, HfC and TaC and grains of (Cr,Me)xCy and a metal based phase comprising of a solid solution of 0.5 to 20% Cr, 0.2 to 15% Si, and 0.2 to 20% carbon, where Me is Fe, Co and/or Ni; and the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm and comprises Si in amount of 0.1 to 0.7 of that in the wear-resistant layer, chromium in amount of 0.1 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and the metal of the metal carbide in amount of 0.2 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and to a method of producing such a wear part.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear part or tool comprising a body containing an iron-group metal or alloy, a wear-resistant layer metallurgically bonded to a surface of the body through an intermediate layer, characterised in that the wear-resistant layer comprises at least 13 vol. % of grains of metal carbide selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, Mo2C, HfC and TaC and grains of (CrlMe)xCy and a metal based phase comprising of a solid solution of 0.5 to 20% Cr, 0.2 to 15% Sil and 0.2 to 20% carbon, where Me is Fe, Co and/or Ni; and the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm and comprises Si in amount of 0.1 to 0.7 of that in the wear-resistant layer, chromium in amount of 0.1 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and the metal of the metal carbide in amount of 0.2 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and to a method of producing such a wear part.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond (PCD) composite compact element comprising a PCD structure bonded to a cemented carbide substrate, in which at least a peripheral region of the substrate comprises cemented carbide material having a mean free path (MFP) characteristic of at least about 0.1 microns and at most about 0.7 microns; and an elastic limit of at least about 1.9 GPa.

Abstract: A body, such as a pick tool for cutting coal, includes a steel substrate and a hard face structure fused to the steel substrate. The hard face structure includes at least 1 weight percent Si, at least 5 weight percent Cr and at least 40 weight percent W. Substantially the balance of the hard face structure includes carbon and an iron group metal M selected from Fe, Co, Ni and alloy combinations of these elements. The hard face structure includes a plurality of elongate or platelike micro-structures having a mean length of at least 1 micron, a plurality of nano-particles having a mean size of less than 200 nanometers, and a binder material.

Abstract: The invention relates to hard-metal body comprising a hard-metal, the hard-metal comprising tungsten carbide grains and metal binder comprising cobalt having a concentration of tungsten dissolved therein, the body comprising a surface region adjacent a surface and a core region remote from the surface, the surface region and the core region being contiguous with each other; the mean binder fraction of the core region being greater than that of the surface region; the mean carbon concentration within the binder being higher in the surface region than in the core region; to tools comprising same and methods of making same.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hard-metal comprising at least 13 volume % of a metal carbide selected from the group consisting of TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, MoC, HfC, TaCl WC or a combination thereof, a binder phase comprising one or more of iron-group metals or alloy thereof and 0.1 to 10 weight % Si and 0.1 to 10 weight % Cr and having a liquidus temperature at 1280 degrees C. or lower and 3 to 39 volume % of diamond or cBN grains coated with a protective coating or a mixture thereof and a process for making the hard-metal.

Abstract: A body comprising a steel substrate and a hard face structure fused to the steel substrate, in which the hard face structure comprises at least 1 weight percent Si, at least 5 weight percent Cr and at least 40 weight percent W and substantially the balance of the hard face structure consisting essentially of an iron group metal M and C, M being selected from Fe, Co and Ni or an alloy thereof; the hard face structure including a plurality of elongate or platelike micro-structures having a mean length of at least 1 micron, a plurality of nano-particles having a mean size of less than 200 nanometres, and a binder material; the micro-structures comprising more than 1 weight percent Cr and a phase having the formula MxWyCz, where x is in the range from 1 to 7, y is in the range from 1 to 10 and z is in the range from 1 to 4; the nano-particles comprising more than 20 weight percent W, the metal M, and C; and the binder material comprising more than 3 weight percent W, more than 2 weight percent Cr, more than 0.

Abstract: A body comprising a steel substrate and a hard face structure fused to the steel substrate, the hard face structure comprising a core region and an intermediate region, the intermediate region at least partially enclosing the core region and comprising at least about 0.

Abstract: The invention relates to hard-metal body comprising a hard-metal, the hard-metal comprising tungsten carbide grains and metal binder comprising cobalt having a concentration of tungsten dissolved therein, the body comprising a surface region adjacent a surface and a core region remote from the surface, the surface region and the core region being contiguous with each other; the mean binder fraction of the core region being greater than that of the surface region; the mean carbon concentration within the binder being higher in the surface region than in the core region; to tools comprising same and methods of making same.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cemented carbide comprising WC grains, 3-20 wt. % binder selected from Co or Co and Ni and grain growth inhibitors wherein the WC mean grain size lies in the range of 180 nm and 230 nm, at least 10±2% WC grains are finer than 50 nm and 7±2% WC grains have a size from 50 to 100 nm. The invention further relates to a process for production the cemented carbide including the stages of milling WC powder with specific surface area (BET) of 3.0 m2/g or higher with binder and grain-growth inhibitors; pressing green parts; pre-sintering the green parts in H2 at 400° C. to 900° C. for 5 to 30 min; sintering in vacuum at temperatures of 1340° C. to 1410° C. for 3 min to 20 min; and HIP-sintering in Ar at pressures of 40 to 100 bar at temperatures of 1340° C. to 1410° C.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear part or tool comprising a body containing an iron-group metal or alloy, a wear-resistant layer metallurgically bonded to a surface of the body through an intermediate layer, characterised in that the wear-resistant layer comprises at least 13 vol. % of grains of metal carbide selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, Mo2C, HfC and TaC and grains of (Cr,Me)xCy and a metal based phase comprising of a solid solution of 0.5 to 20% Cr, 0.2 to 15% Si, and 0.2 to 20% carbon, where Me is Fe, Co and/or Ni; and the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm and comprises Si in amount of 0.1 to 0.7 of that in the wear-resistant layer, chromium in amount of 0.1 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and the metal of the metal carbide in amount of 0.2 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and to a method of producing such a wear part.

Abstract: The invention relates to hard-metal body comprising a hard-metal, the hard-metal comprising tungsten carbide grains and metal binder comprising cobalt having a concentration of tungsten dissolved therein, the body comprising a surface region adjacent a surface and a core region remote from the surface, the surface region and the core region being contiguous with each other; the mean binder fraction of the core region being greater than that of the surface region; the mean carbon concentration within the binder being higher in the surface region than in the core region; to tools comprising same and methods of making same.

Abstract: The invention relates to a superhard element (10) comprising a polycrystalline superhard structure (20) joined at an interface to a hard-metal body (30) comprising metal carbide grains bonded together by a metal binder, the polycrystalline superhard structure comprising a superhard material; the hard-metal body comprising a surface region (32) proximate the interface and a core region (36) remote from the interface, the surface and the core regions being contiguous, the mean binder fraction in the core region being less than that in the surface region and to a method of making a hard-metal body for such an element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hard-metal comprising at least 13 volume % of a metal carbide selected from the group consisting of TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, MoC, HfC, TaCl WC or a combination thereof, a binder phase comprising one or more of iron-group metals or alloy thereof and 0.1 to 10 weight % Si and 0.1 to 10 weight % Cr and having a liquidus temperature at 1280 degrees C. or lower and 3 to 39 volume % of diamond or cBN grains coated with a protective coating or a mixture thereof and a process for making the hard-metal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wear part or tool comprising a body containing an iron-group metal or alloy, a wear-resistant layer metallurgically bonded to a surface of the body through an intermediate layer, characterised in that the wear-resistant layer comprises at least 13 vol. % of grains of metal carbide selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, Mo2C, HfC and TaC and grains of (CrlMe)xCy and a metal based phase comprising of a solid solution of 0.5 to 20% Cr, 0.2 to 15% Sil and 0.2 to 20% carbon, where Me is Fe, Co and/or Ni; and the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.05 to 1 mm and comprises Si in amount of 0.1 to 0.7 of that in the wear-resistant layer, chromium in amount of 0.1 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and the metal of the metal carbide in amount of 0.2 to 0.6 of that in the wear-resistant layer and to a method of producing such a wear part.

Abstract: A polycrystalline diamond (PCD) composite compact element comprising a PCD structure bonded to a cemented carbide substrate, in which at least a peripheral region of the substrate comprises cemented carbide material having a mean free path (MFP) characteristic of at least about 0.1 microns and at most about 0.7 microns; and an elastic limit of at least about 1.9 GPa.